Assorting or grading machine.



H. B. RITCHIE.

ASSOR'I'ING 0R GRADING MAGHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED DEC. 31, 1912.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

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IHE NORRIS PETERS CO r'Ho/H LIT/IO WASHINLIQ'I H. B. RITCHIE. ASSOBTING0R GRADING MAGHiNEL APPLICATION FILED DBO. 81, 1912. 1,1 1 9,454.Patented Dec. 1,1914.

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- cr IIIIIIIHH "HE NORRIS PETERS CD, PHUTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D, C

HOWARD B. RITCHIROF HYDE PARK, MASSACHUSETTS.

ASSORTING QRGRADING .IVIACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

"Be it known that I, IIOWARD B. RITCHIE.

a citizen of the United States, and resident of Hyde Park, in the countyof Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Assorting or GradingMachines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for separating, or sortingintoldifi'erent lots,

articles of varying sizes delivered to the machine in mixed quantities,and has particular reference to machines adapted to assert or gradeelongated bodies such as sardines or other relatively small.fishpreparatory to packing them.

While my invention may beused for assorting various kinds of fish, orarticles other than fish, I shall hereinafter designate the articlesassorted by the machine as sardines, it being understood, however, thatthis term is used for convenience and is not intended to be used in arestrictive sense.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple and effectivemachine adapted to assort and grade large masses or quantities ofsardines without liability of the fish becoming clogged so as to interrupt the operation of the machine.

The invention also has for its object to provide a machine of thischaracter which shall be adjustable. so that a mass of sardines may beassorted into as many grades as may be desirable, the machine being soadjustable that it is capable of delivering, in each grade, fish of anydesired size.

To these ends the invention consists in the improvements which I shallnow proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a top plan view of anassorting mach ne embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe same, partly broken out; Fig. 3 is an elevation, from the oppositeside to that shown in Fig. 2, of the asserting portions of the mechanismon, a larger scale, parts being shown in section; Fig. 4 is an elevationof the delivering end of the machine, partly broken out or insectionaFig. 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters indicate the same parts in all of thefigures.

The frame of the machine comprises side Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1,1914.

Application filed December 31, 1912. Serial No. 7351,4176.

members 12 which are uprights 13, 14 15, said side members beingsuitably connected, as by cross strips or braces 16. The uprights arearranged in pairs, and the four uprights comprising the two pairs 13, 14are preferably connected by cross strips or braces 17.

The table or platform 18, on which the sardines are deposited, isillustrated as constructed of a piece of sheetmetal bent to presentsides 19 and longitudinal ribs 20. I do not limit myself however tomaking the platform of sheet metal. strips2l support the platform, saidstrips having ears 22 provided with apertures slidably fitting rods 23,the platform being secured in itsproper position when adjustedlongitudinally of the rods 23 by suitable means, such as set screws 2%passed through the ears 22 and binding against the rods 23. Each rod 23has connected to it near each end, as best shown in Fig. 2, a yoke 25which is pivotally connected at 26 to the upper end of a rod or bar 27which is adjustably held by means of aclamp screw 28 in a bracket 29secured to one of the uprights 13, 14'. Each upright 13, 14, of course,has such bracket 29, and there are four tice I prefer to aid themovement of thefish down the inclined platform by supplying a suflicientamount of water. The ribs 20 of course insure the fish being guided whenthey move down the inclined platform, either head first or tail first,to reach the asserting disks straight and parallel. Practically it makesno difference for asserting purposes which end moves first, but it isessential that the fish shall not reach the sorting disks crosswise.

As shown by comparing F 3 and 4, angle bars 30 supported by the sidemembers 12 of the frame are provided with bearings 31 for the series oftransverse parallel Suitable cross a vertical rods. or bars 27 which areindependently adjustsupported by suitable shafts 32. Each shaft 32carries a series of spaced disks 33 which have blunt edges and 38secured to it at one end, the several gears meshing with intermediateidle pinions 39. One of the shafts is provided with a pulley 40 drivenby a belt ll from a pulley 41-2 on a stud shaft 43 projecting from anarm i l (Fig. 1) extending from one of the uprights.

Saidstud shaftis provided with fast and loose'pulleys' 45. and 46 for asuitable, driving belt.

Deflector plates 47 are suitablyconnected to the side members 12 of theframe and are inclined inwardly therefrom so as to prevent fish or waterfrom falling upon the, bearings of the shafts.

As shown in Fig. 1, the disks 3,3 are difife'rently spaced, the disks ofthe first two shafts at the left, nearest, the platformlS,

bein in alinement and closest to ether. The b disks of the next threeshafts are spaced in alinement, butwider apart, while the disks of thelastthree shafts, which are also in alinement, are spaced still fartherapart, I

do not limit myself to any particularnumberfof shafts as a whole, or ineach series.

In operation the sardines slide down the inclined table or platformafter the latter has been properly adjusted to deliver the fish,substantially as indicated in Fig. 3, to I the disks of the first shaft.All the disks rotate in the direction of the arrow a in Fig. 3, so thatany fish which are too large to pass downwardly between thefirstset ofdisks into the first box or receptacle 48 will be advanced or drawnalong by said disks and supplied to, the next disks. If the fish are ofproper size they will then drop through between the disks of the secondset, and if they are too large they will be positively carried along tothe next or final series of revolving disks. There may be as manydifferently spaced series of shafts and disks as may be desired, eachgroup of assorting disks being adapted to either permit fish of propersize to pass through into a box or receptacle below, or positivelyadvance the fish to the next wider spaced series, or entirely beyond theend of the machine, where approximately large fish will be delivered awithout being assorted. It will be understood that the disks per-formthe assorting operation without liability of the machinebeing cloggedbecause the said disks are constantly rotating and are therefore obligedeither-to cause any'fish between any two disksto pass downwardly into abox or rethe fish so that it cannot be advanced on.

its side but will have either its back orits belly uppermost. In brief,the fish must pass between the disks edgewise ifthey are to pass at all,and it is the lateral thickness of a fish which controls the properassorting or grading thereof. Variations of the size to be assorted maybe readily effected by employing washers 34; between the disks, of suchsize as to insure the proper spacing of the disks. Inother words, thewashers may be of any size according to the size of the fishto be passedbetween disks spaced by such washersas the fish pass down the inclinedseries of revolving disks, they are positivelymovedin such manner thatany fish which are partly engaged but are 'too large toslip throughthespaces between the disks of any shaft or'shafts will be drawnalongbycthe disks of the nextlower shaft orshafts and either thendropped through into a box or receptacle48 orfed still fartheralong. themachine. As hereinbefore described, the ribs 2-0 of the platform 18serve to guide the fish as they move down the'inclined plane, so'thatsaid fish reach the.

asserting disks 33 straight, or, inother words, in parallelrelationship. Since the fish are elongated in shape, if they could reachthe disks crosswise, they would be liable to be carried beyond thosedisks which should gradethem, and would be conse-' quently deposited ina receptacle beyond their proper place. It is essentialthat the fishshall be started onto theassorting disks straight and parallel.

because if they were not, any depressions in the disks would catch thefish and would be liable to force some of the fish down between disksnot'properly spaced for that to land thereupon, so as to be evenly bal-.

anced for a short time sufficient to cause such fish to be carriedbeyond their proper places of grading and deposited into the receptacles 4'8. By forming the disks with the tapered peripheries, as,described, any fish landing upon them centrally will immediately tipsldewise, one way or the other,

It is also essential; that the disks shall be peripherally smooth,

and escape down into the receptacles. The

fish cannot get turned sidewise and so pass for guiding the articles tothe disks endwise m beyond their proper places for slipping in parallelrelationship.

through between the disks. In testimony whereof I have affixed my Havingnow described my invention, I signature,in presence of two witnesses.61mm HOWARD B. RITCHIE.

An assorting machine for elongated articles such as fish, said machinehaving Witnesses: disks provided with blunt edged peripheries A. W.HARRISON, the sides of 'which are beveled, and means 1 P. l/VQPEZZETTI.

Copies 01' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Iatenta,: Washington, D. C.

